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Animal Rights Foundation
If slaughtered meat becomes illegal, is there a possibility that there will be a black market where people will sell illegal meat?
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Illegal slaughtering of animals already exists. You could ask the same question when you forbid non-anesthetized slaughter. Will Jews and Muslims slaughter illegally then? A few will still do the slaughtering, but you have enforcements for that just like with other bans.
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You say that cultured meat is real meat, but the meat that is cultured still needs a lot of other ingredients such as spices, etc. to be able to achieve the same flavor as the non-cultured meat. Can it still be considered real meat after all these procedures?
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Cultured is made out of real muscle cells, so it is real meat. Meat in general is not only made out of muscle tissue but also fat. You can grow this fat in the same way from animal cells, but you can also add healthier vegetable fats.
Even now spices are added in vegetable meat substitutes. People also marinate their meat when they cook and add a variety of sauces.
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The cultured meat industry for the livestock industry is the same as the car-industry horse and carriage. Could you clarify this more? Do you mean things will go faster and smoother?
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It is more of a warning. Horse and cart disappeared from the street scene with the rise of the car. Video rental companies like Blockbuster went out of business when we all got the Netflix-like movie channels; a few, like Videoland, adapted. Kodak, T maker of film rolls disappeared due to digital photography; Fuji-film did adapt and makes digital cameras. Cattle farmers face that same risk. Their industry is going to disappear. I often compare it to the coal mining industry in Limburg. In the late 60s, early 70s, 70,000 people lost their jobs when this industry was no longer profitable.
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What is the government’s view on cultured meat? Does the government show much opposition?
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There seems to be broad support for cultured meat also from the traditional farmer parties such as the VVD. They see these innovative technologies as something in which the Netherlands can lead the way. The government could encourage it more with subsidies.
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What will happen to all land animals if meat production goes down drastically? Will there be a surplus because of excessive breeding? Are you not afraid that if farmers notice that they cannot sell their meat anymore they will abandon the animals a little?
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If you stop hatching broilers now, they won't be there in 6 to 8 weeks. That saves 600 million animals a year. If we stop inseminating sows now there will be 12 million fewer pigs in 6 months. Meat rabbits only live 11 weeks, turkeys 15-20 weeks, calves 6-8 months, an egg-laying hen one and a half years, a dairy cow on average 5 years. Stopping breeding reduces the number of animals at lightning speed!
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If slaughtered meat becomes illegal, is there a possibility that there will be a black market where people will sell illegal meat?
​
Illegal slaughtering of animals already exists. You could ask the same question when you forbid non-anesthetized slaughter. Will Jews and Muslims slaughter illegally then? A few will still do the slaughtering, but you have enforcements for that just like with other bans.
​
You say that cultured meat is real meat, but the meat that is cultured still needs a lot of other ingredients such as spices, etc. to be able to achieve the same flavor as the non-cultured meat. Can it still be considered real meat after all these procedures?
​
Cultured is made out of real muscle cells, so it is real meat. Meat in general is not only made out of muscle tissue but also fat. You can grow this fat in the same way from animal cells, but you can also add healthier vegetable fats.
Even now spices are added in vegetable meat substitutes. People also marinate their meat when they cook and add a variety of sauces.
​
The cultured meat industry for the livestock industry is the same as the car-industry horse and carriage. Could you clarify this more? Do you mean things will go faster and smoother?
​
It is more of a warning. Horse and cart disappeared from the street scene with the rise of the car. Video rental companies like Blockbuster went out of business when we all got the Netflix-like movie channels; a few, like Videoland, adapted. Kodak, T maker of film rolls disappeared due to digital photography; Fuji-film did adapt and makes digital cameras. Cattle farmers face that same risk. Their industry is going to disappear. I often compare it to the coal mining industry in Limburg. In the late 60s, early 70s, 70,000 people lost their jobs when this industry was no longer profitable.
​
What is the government’s view on cultured meat? Does the government show much opposition?
​
There seems to be broad support for cultured meat also from the traditional farmer parties such as the VVD. They see these innovative technologies as something in which the Netherlands can lead the way. The government could encourage it more with subsidies.
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Will there be more monotoring in the agriculture industry after cultured meat becomes the new norm? How will this monotoring be handled to ensure that animals are no longer slaughtered?
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Keeping animals is now also subject to permits and is registered. Animals will have to come from somewhere if you want to slaughter them illegally. Poaching in the wild will perhaps be a bigger problem and illegal importation of meat from countries where it is not banned by then.
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